1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to machines utilized in industry for cleaning mechanical parts and, more particularly, to an immersion parts cleaning system and method for cleaning mechanical parts utilizing a continuous conveyor for carrying the parts from a loading station to a discharge station. The conveyor system includes a plurality of vertical runs which pass through at least one wash or cleaning tank in which cleaning fluid is injected in a continuous manner to create turbulence for cleaning parts being conveyed therethrough. In some embodiments, a plurality of vertical runs of the conveyor system pass through a second cleaning tank which incorporates an ultrasonic insert for creating shock waves for cleaning parts to ensure complete removal of all oils, particles and other debris. In addition to the foregoing, the conveyor system may also include at least two vertical conveyor runs which pass through a tank in which parts which have been cleaned are thoroughly rinsed, after which, the parts are dried before being discharged from the system.
2. History of the Related Art
In the manufacturing industry, parts which are machined must be cleaned to remove particles of metal as well as oils, greases and other materials associated with a manufacturing process. In other industries, such as where parts are being recycled for further use, built up dirt, tars, greases and other particulates must also be removed before the parts can be effectively put to further use. In some parts cleaning systems, parts are conveyed by a conveyor through a spraying system where cleaning solutions or solvents are used to dislodge oils and particles. Unfortunately, the use of spray-type cleaning systems does not adequately remove all particles, oils or other debris from parts being cleaned. In addition, such cleaning systems usually require a great deal of floor space within a manufacturing or recycling facility thus increasing the initial installation costs of such systems. Further, the spraying of cleaning solvents creates environmental concerns.
An improvement over such spray cleaning systems are immersion systems wherein parts are loaded onto carriers or placed into baskets and are cleaned in a bath of cleaning solution. Each load of parts is immersed into a cleaning solution and the cleaning solution may be agitated to create turbulence to further facilitate the cleansing action of the cleaning agent in removing contaminants from the parts. A draw back associated with such batch-type cleaning processes is that they tend to increase the time required to clean parts. Increasing the time of cleaning increases man hours which also increases the cost of the cleaning processes. To overcome this, plants may install a plurality of wash tanks, all of which operate with bulk processes. Although providing a plurality of tanks increases the load capability of the washing system, the increased number of tanks requires additional floor space, and also increases installation and maintenance costs.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to provide a very compact immersion-type cleaning system which can be utilized in an environmentally compatible manner within substantially any manufacturing facility such that the system requires a minimum of floor space to be consumed but which functions to provide an efficient and generally continuous cleaning of parts.